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Meostar B1 12x50 HD report (1 Viewer)

looksharp65

Well-known member
Sweden
In another thread I was asked to post my impressions with my newly acquired Meopta. I've had this binocular since about the beginning of February.
This is not intended to be a thorough review with aberrations and all, merely a report from the user perspective.

I ran into it when browsing one of the nationwide ad sites. Usually, the asking prices are plain ridiculous, or it's broken, unusable crap. Not this time and the price was too good to pass on. The seller had realised he'd be better served with an 8x32 and needed to sell this one first.

I had expected a big chunk, and the 12x50 is a handful. However, I have fairly big hands and the B1 design language is very well implemented. There's no way to pick it up and hold it wrong, it finds its place in my hands immediately and every time. The streamlined bullet shape has no details that are in the way, and the thumb rests are useful. It sort of reminds me of the first time I looked through a decent modern roof binocular, the B&L Discoverer 7x42. I guess others would mention the older Trinovids or the Zeiss Night Owls.
While I clearly see that it's bigger and feels bigger than my 42 mm binoculars, it's still not bigly big.

Just like with the diminutive 8x32, which is exactly as easy in real use, it is very easy to point in the exact direction where the bird is. I believe that the smooth shape factor is the single most thing to contribute to this.

The focus knob has a perfect resistance. It was tighter initially, but perfectly usable.

Even in front of the eyes it's just like the 8x32, extremely easy to position.
Fine-tuning the position is very rarely needed. I can roam the image freely without tendencies to kidneybeaning or blackouts. With my quite snugly fitting spectacles, the eye relief is sufficient to see the wide 63 degree AFOV.
Shake is no issue unless I'm immediately after a physical effort.
It helps to allow smooth movements - trying to keep it extremely still with locked muscles only induces fast, short amplitude shake (quiver).

The sweet spot is very large and it is mostly field curvature that reduces the edge sharpness. Boosted with a Bushnell Doubler (2.5x = 30x) it doesn't disappoint, but it's obviously nicer to use it as a binocular.
Some insignificant lateral CA can be seen close to the edge of the FOV if I want to find it.

Re the apparent sharpness, there's definitely no softness. Like David wrote in his thorough review, bird's individual barbs of their feathers appear through the 12x50. Obviously, the magnification is a major part of this.
However, at the same time there's a noticeable ease of view that it shares with the 8x32, and that makes the 8x32 my most important bin.
I recall Holger speculating about the silver coatings being the main contributor to the ease of view, and I understand his line of thought.

I'm leaving out assessment of the straylight and ghosting properties, but in short I can tell I have not seen such yet. This may mean performance is flawless, but also that I haven't found a situation that provoked them.

Colour is important to me, however every new binocular appears to educate and re-balance my discerning set of eyes.
In short, colours are very good with no obvious suppression of individual wavelengths. The 8x32 renders blue a bit unsatisfactory, it's easiest to see when looking at Blue Tits where their heads appear greyish blue.
Not so with the 12x50.
The overall hue tends slightly towards warm, though. Allbinos would probably write it's towards cream. It can be best seen looking at the overcast sky.
This result is less than perfect, but doesn't affect the performance.

However, some other things happened when I made colour assessments and comparisons. I did already know that my EDG 7x42 and the Fieldscope EDs tend a very tiny bit towards orange-red. First impression of the HD was it wasn't quite up there with the EDG, but then I also discovered tiny colour hues in the EDG too, probably caused by the properties of the dielectric mirror coatings.
I also found that I could not discern any colour difference whatsoever between the Meopta and my Fieldscope ED82A with the 30x Wide DS.
So it is in fact closer to the Nikon scope than the Nikon EDG is :eek!:
This result is fine and very reassuring to me.
I however believe my sample is an early one, and that he sample David reviewed was newer.

The defining feature of the 12x50 is the high magnification, balancing on the edge of what can be handheld.
I used to be a 6.5x + 10x guy, I even wrote a thread about the 8x being a not so good compromise. However that changed when I found that a Nikon E II 8x30 delivered all the detail I could see with my 10x32 FL. Then came the Meopta 8x32 and the EDG 7x42. For a long time now, 8x was the most magnification I actually used. I gave away my old man's 10x40 BGAT Classic to my son.

The image area of an object through the 12x is nearly three times larger than the 7x which does show, though maybe the difference isn't as huge as one would think when looking at short and medium distance.
Instead, it is the really long distance that makes the 12x shine.
Within moderate distance, you can often walk closer to get the same image size with less magnification, but if it's very far away, it's rarely feasible and often impossible to get physically closer.

The more magnification, the more emphasis on the background, which becomes magnified visibly in a way not so apparent at shorter distance.
I have and will use the 12x50 partly as a substitute for the small scope.
Remembering that boosting it to 30x provided no apparent advantage, it's not preposterous to sometimes let it substitute the ED50A 27x.
Yes, there's definitely less power, and very far away, the 12x will be inferior.
But it helps that both eyes are engaged and that the brightness is better.

The Meostar 12x50 HD filled a gap I was unaware of, and is rapidly becoming a cornerstone in the optical toolbox. It delivers superior performance not only power-wise, but is also as free from real flaws as you could ask for.
Few birders can use these as their only binoculars, but if you have the 7x and/or 8x covered, and want an addition that makes a difference that's more than incremental, go with one of these.

//L
 
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Nice report Lars. It was a real shame I had to send my review sample back. Sounds like yours is a keeper. :t:

David
 
Thanks David! A keeper for sure, and I told you about the unusual application I bought it for. It's useful even at other occasions.

//L
 
Lars,

Thanks for the review, it looks like the 12X50 HD will be my next Meopta purchase. How did you find the FOV, it has over a degree more than the 15X56 HD.

A.W.
 
One necessary clarification is that the magnification is obviously uniform regardless of distance.

But birds can appear at any distance. If the bird is 8 meters away and you look at it through 8x binoculars, it looks as if it's 1 meter away. At 16 meters, it will look like it's 2 meters away. But since they appear randomly at any and all distances, the magnification, or rather the size of the image of the bird will also be random.
As an average, you could expect bigger images with the 12x than with the 8x, but depending on where the bird sits in a given moment, the 8x might as well deliver the larger image, because when you have swapped for the 12x, the bird may be much further away.

Then, if a particular bird is resting at one place within a moderate distance, you can change the image size by moving from or towards it as long as it won't be scared, or the character of the ground doesn't prevent, and the distance isn't too long. One good reason why 7x and 8x power is usually sufficient.

The further the observation distance, the less can the image scale be altered by change of position, and this is where high power binoculars and scopes show their superiority. This is also the "unusual application" I mentioned. I need to overview areas without being able to go down to where a 7x would be sufficient were I only there.

//L
 
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Super review! and especially concur with the feeling "....there's a noticeable ease of view that it shares with the 8x32" along with "...that makes the 8x32 my most important bin." and agree this is helped by the apparently generous afov. It's a lovely big image and reckon I really can see more with the 12x50.
 
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Typo/David
Mac.o/Mark
Samolot
Looksharp65
Chris6
Anyone else
Hi,
Do you have experience with the Kowa Genesis 10.5x44?
Are you able to say anything regarding this: How does the MeoStar-HD 12x50 and that compare for nature and bird watching when hand-held?
Any comparison is appreciated. I might remind you of eye relief, as some find the Kowa's inadequate.
Thank you!
Adhoc
(Got that list from Cambridge Analytica. They said they sent you some girls. No, actually, it's from David's thread. "Anyone else" addressed above: sorry if you have reported on the MeoStar-HD 12x50 in BirdForum yet been missed out here.)
 
I recall Holger speculating about the silver coatings being the main contributor to the ease of view, and I understand his line of thought.
//L

I'm interested in this. Can you elaborate, or point me to what Holger said?

I find Leica Trinovids (BAs and BNs) have an especially easy view and they have silver coated prisms.

Also, can I get you to buy and review the MeoStar 15x56? 8-P
I'd like a solid report on this bin.
 
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Thanks for the link to Holger's review. That's interesting.

I've seen that YouTube vid and dubbed it of little value. I haven't come across much on the the big Meoptas
 
Kowa

Adhoc,

Check out scopeviews I believe there was a review on the 10.5X44 Kowa,
and where are those girls.

A.W.

Typo/David
Mac.o/Mark
Samolot
Looksharp65
Chris6
Anyone else
Hi,
Do you have experience with the Kowa Genesis 10.5x44?
Are you able to say anything regarding this: How does the MeoStar-HD 12x50 and that compare for nature and bird watching when hand-held?
Any comparison is appreciated. I might remind you of eye relief, as some find the Kowa's inadequate.
Thank you!
Adhoc
(Got that list from Cambridge Analytica. They said they sent you some girls. No, actually, it's from David's thread. "Anyone else" addressed above: sorry if you have reported on the MeoStar-HD 12x50 in BirdForum yet been missed out here.)
 
Now I am beginning to wonder perhaps why I find viewing with silver coated glass and my Meoptas relaxing, esp in bright light, additionally I have also wondered is more light (too much light) transmission reduces contrast.

A.W.
 
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The EII/Meostar comparison by Holger Merlitz may have been written 8 or more years ago, so suppose some/all meoptas could by now be a bit different...
 
Now I am beginning to wonder perhaps why I find viewing with silver coated glass and my Meoptas relaxing, esp in bright light, additionally I have also wondered is more light (too much light) transmission reduces contrast.

A.W.

It might be useful in daylight (excessive blue content) but not so much in low light where mesopic vision becomes more important. In low light HT-glass with high blue/violet transmission would be more useful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopic_vision
 
Typo/David
Mac.o/Mark
Samolot
Looksharp65
Chris6
Anyone else
Hi,
Do you have experience with the Kowa Genesis 10.5x44?
Are you able to say anything regarding this: How does the MeoStar-HD 12x50 and that compare for nature and bird watching when hand-held?
Any comparison is appreciated. I might remind you of eye relief, as some find the Kowa's inadequate.
Thank you!
Adhoc
(Got that list from Cambridge Analytica. They said they sent you some girls. No, actually, it's from David's thread. "Anyone else" addressed above: sorry if you have reported on the MeoStar-HD 12x50 in BirdForum yet been missed out here.)

Adhoc,

I've tried the 10.5x44 a couple of time and the 8.5x44 several times more. I don't recall having an ER problem with either using glasses, but I think I needed to twist out the eyecups a little more on the 8.5x. I did think the width of the eyecups might cause some problems without glasses for those with narrower ERs. I decided I preferred the 10.5x44. A combination of the 64.8° AFoV and the damping effect of the weight seemed to be put to better use in the higher power.

I didn't directly compare the Meopta to the Kowa, but they are rather different designs. The Kowa is flattened and the Meopta not. At higher magnification the difference seems slight. I think the Kowa had less pincushion. I don't think anything much matches the Kowa for depth of contrast and CA, and if it doesn't match the Meopta for sharpness it's very close. Where I think the Meopta had an advantage is in colour. The Kowa is pretty neutral, but for me somehow manages to make the view a little lifeless and the colours dull. I think the Meopta would be just a fraction warmer in balance, yet seems to deliver more at both ends of the spectrum, resulting in a richer, more vibrant image. I think the arguement is finely balanced between the two on technicalities, but I just enjoyed using the Meopta a little more. They are both fine binoculars. I'm sure others would have different priorities and choose differently.

As Lars pointed out, we think the sample I reviewed was possibly newer than his, and may have differed on colour.

I'm sure Holger Merlitz did a write up on the 12x50 HD on Juelich Bonn shortly after my report, but I can't find it now. Anyone else seen it?

David
 
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Lars,

I appreciate part of the appeal of the 12x50 is to leave the scope and tripod at home. I sympathise with that, but at the same time found that I could get more detail and reach when needed with the binocular when supported. Sancho recommend a monopod in another thread, and I thought that was a good option too. It gave me about a 30% increase in detail and real help with prolonged observation. With the Meopta quick release bracket it worked particularly well, but I think all designs would reduce the IPD range. I don't have a doubler, but I'm sure it would help a lot as well. Mine was very cheap and weighs 360g, but still did a good job when seated. I don't know how well they would work when standing.

Just to add to Vespobuteo's comment on mesopic viewing. Traditionally binocular transmission curves were optimised for 555nm for photopic viewing and 505 for scotopic viewing, but this rather overlooks the spectral shifts in daylight, particularly before and after sunset. Most particularly when the sun is 4° to 8° below the horizon the light can be very blue indeed, and high transmission at the shorter wavelengths is particularly important. In spite of having silver mirrored prisms, the 12x50HD I had seemed to do surprisingly well in the violet with about 65% at 400nm, and also no doubt contributes to the colour vibrancy I mentioned. The Zeiss HT does a bit better here, as one would expect, but doesn't do so well as the Meopta in the red, which I think affects it's colour fidelity.

David
 
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David,

That last paragraph makes me think why I like certain glass over others, the perception of an individual to color, and contrast. Why certain glass may be bright but have lousy color rendition to my eyes. I believe these characteristics perhaps, led me to choose one model over another by actually viewing through them. If I want to see in the dark, I use other non commercial glass for that.

A.W.
 
David,
Thank you very much for your response to me. It is exactly what I wanted to know, and explained just right! They are, it seems, two wonderful binoculars, the Meopta a bit more attractive to me, from what I now read. Your reply to Lars also is very useful to me.
Adhoc
 
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